Recipe: Gazpacho Soup

Lately, I’ve have been looking for foods that are both healthy and comforting. This month, my husband, Bill, asked about gazpacho soup. I had never made it before, but tried it a couple of times. It is wonderful for a hot summer day . . . spicy, cold and full of healthy vegetables. No need for a knock on the head for missing your veggies like the V8 commercials depict – although I do think they’re funny.. Below is my recipe, a blend of several with my modifications to give it some zip. Farther down is a bit of history behind this uniquely Spanish dish.

• 40 oz. can of tomato juice
• 2 cloves of pressed or grated garlic
• 1 heaping tablespoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt (regular salt works just as well)
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• 4 tablespoons of lemon juice or salad quality vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon liquid hot sauce, such as Tabasco®
• ½ English cucumber (or one whole cucumber) peeled and diced
• 3 celery stalks, finely diced
• ¼ each of green, red , and yellow bell peppers
• 3-5 green onions, finely sliced
• 3 fresh tomatoes, diced
• Seasoned croutons or diced seasoned toasted bread

In a large mixing bowl, mix the tomato juice, garlic, sugar, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Pour this mixture into a large pitcher, and then add the chunky diced vegetables. After you have stirred the vegetables into the tomato juice mixture, add the fresh diced tomatoes. Chill overnight or for at least four hours. Once ready to serve, top with crisp croutons or seasoned toasted bread. Now, here’s a list of some condiments and extras you can add as toppings to gazpacho when you’re ready to serve, all traditional with bowls of gazpacho. These “extras” should be in small bowls around the table for guests or family members to choose. Condiments:

• Sour cream
• Crumbled, crisp bacon
• Diced ham
• Diced hard-boiled egg
• Basil, fresh leaves preferable
• Green onion tops, thinly sliced cross-sections
• Tiny bay shrimp (lightly boiled in Bay seasoning)

  A bit of history of gazpacho. (Note that the tradition has evolved in many ways over time.) Gazpacho has roots that may be fetched from Roman times in Andalucía, Spain, though it became widely known as a hearty peasant dish, easily made from available vegetables. According to many sources, however, gazpacho began as a thick soup of nothing more than stale bread, shredded and ground, mixed with olive oil, vinegar and garlic. Not until tomatoes and peppers found their way to Old World countries from this continent, thanks, presumably, to Spanish explorers and traders, did the savory soup we now think of as gazpacho find popularity. There are too many theories about the origin of the name – gazpacho – to get into here, but if you’re interested in etymology (the origin of words), you’ll find lots of entertainment on the Internet with this one. But, mainly, I hope you will try this recipe and enjoy it. Take care of your health, and have a wonderful lunch or dinner!